Israeli Technical Death band Eternal Gray have been on the scene since 2001. The first album ‘kindless’ which was recorded in 2002 has guest vocals by none other that German Thrasher Schmier of Destruction. That year the band were opening acts for legends such as Megadeth and Rotting Christ. In 2004 they hit the studio again to record their second album, but shortly after this the singer, drummer and guitarist (founding members) left the band and took all the material with them (boooo!!). In 2005 a new EP was recorded with 1000 copies of it made, however, the band decided not to release it. Another EP was recorded with a new lineup change but yet again it was unreleased due to the band not being satisfied with it. They decided to go on hiatus in 2006 but luckily in 2007 came back with written material and were ready for the studio again for the latest album ‘Your Gods My Enemies’ So a good four years later it is finally seeing the light of day but was it was worth all the commotion and wait.?
Wasting no time with an arty farty intro, the first track ‘Lost Control’ blasts in with some heavy technical drum beats, the vocals shortly after showing off some demonic and almost painful growling. The middle section contains an unexpected slower atmospheric piece, then comes rushing back in to the heavy drums. ‘Controlled’ a brutal track with riffs aplenty shows off exactly what madness you can come up with guitar-wise on a bit of technical death. The third track ‘Black Prophecy’ shows off a cracking melodic riff while still keeping the meatiness about it. The vocals angry and the drumming pattern is good enough to raise your leather cuffed wrist! A perfect track for good old wind mill is ‘Inner Anger’ Vocals reminding me a lot of Behemoth (perfect!) and the guitar solo is beautifully all over the place, superb, madness inducing techie death metal.
A firm favourite for me was track 8 ‘Blind Messiah’. The intro a magnificent doomy guitar riff that would make the likes of My Dying Bride salivate. I will have to point out too; the whole album has Akercocke influences all over it. If it was my band, this would be the bad boy that will get released first as a single. The last two tracks are ‘Never Waits’ and the Electronica version of the same track. Which quite frankly.... they need to get rid of!
A very impressive album indeed! The only part I had a winge at was the electronic version at the end. We don’t need any of that industrial dance crap thank you very much!
http://www.myspace.com/eternalgray
Charlene Rance
MTUK HOME
